Soldiers Survive War, But Not Inner Demons

[babylonsister]

Soldiers Survive War, But Not Inner Demons

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., April 9, 2009


(CBS) Spc. Carl McCoy survived two tours in Iraq only to take his own life - and shatter the life of his wife Maggie.

"He shot himself in the bathroom," she tells CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

According to Maggie, Carl was drinking and their marriage was in trouble. He knew he needed help and scheduled an appointment with a mental health counselor at Fort Campbell, Ky. But that morning…

"They called and cancelled," Maggie recalls. "They didn't have anybody to see him. That was the day before he killed himself."

Maggie was also a soldier, a sergeant with two tours in Iraq. She planned to stay in the Army - until she saw an e-mail written by her commander after Carl's suicide.

"I know Sgt. McCoy has a lot of problems but we need people who can deploy so get her out of the Army or get her out of my unit," the e-mail read.

That may sound callous, but it's the reality of life in an Army faced with the unrelenting pace of war and only beginning to come to grips with soldiers so stressed they're taking their own lives.

"We saw the numbers go up the last four years," says Gen. Pete Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff. "We should have been more proactive, all of us, including me, in attacking this problem."

Chiarelli has never seen anything like it.

"I've been doing this stuff for 36 years and I have never run into anything as difficult as this," Chiarelli says.

more...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/09/eveningnews/main4932554.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4932554

[gratuitous]

1. They aren't just pieces on a Risk board?

This has to be bothering some people in the military. You can't just keep sending people out for tour after tour. But we can't hire any counselors because we have to buy another 43 useless fighter jets to supplement several dozen we already don't have any use for.

[babylonsister]

3. Not exactly. Here are some highlights from the 2010 defense budget...

http://ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2009/03/08/2010-budget-notes-department-of-veterans-affairs-56-3b.aspx

Funding Highlights:

* Increases funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs by $25 billion above baseline over the next five years.
* Dramatically increases funding for veterans health care.
* Expands eligibility for veterans health care to over 500,000 veterans by 2013.
* Enhances outreach and services related to mental health care and cognitive injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, with a focus on access for veterans in rural areas.
* Invests in better technology to deliver services and benefits to veterans with the quality and efficiency they deserve.
* Provides greater benefits to veterans who are medically retired from service.
* Combats homelessness by safeguarding vulnerable veterans.
* Facilitates timely implementation of the comprehensive education benefits that veterans earn through their dedicated military service.

Increases funding for the department of veterans Affairs (VA) by $25 Billion Above Baseline Over the Next five years

The President's Budget takes the first step toward increasing funding for VA by $25 billion over the next five years in order to honor our Nation's veterans and expand the services they receive.

Dramatically increases funding for VA health Care

This increase will provide adequate resources to give 5.5 million veteran patients timely and high quality care. This funding also enables VA to create Centers of Excellence and provides additional veteran-oriented specialty care in areas including prosthetics, vision and spinal cord injury, aging, and women's health.

Restores health Care Eligibility for Modest-income veterans

For the first time since January 2003, the President's Budget expands eligibility for VA health care to nondisabled veterans earning modest incomes. This expansion will bring over 500,000 eligible veterans into the VA health care system by 2013 while maintaining high quality and timely care for the lower-income and disabled veterans who currently rely on VA medical care.

Enhances Outreach and Services Related to Mental health Care and Cognitive injuries with a focus on Access for veterans in Rural Areas

Conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury present challenges in caring for veterans of current conflicts. The President's Budget expands the mental health screening and treatment services offered by VA and focuses on reaching veterans in rural areas. VA will increase the number of Vet Centers and mobile health clinics to expand access to mental health screening and treatment in rural areas. In addition, new funding will help veterans and their families stay informed of these resources and encourage them to pursue needed care.

Invests in Better Technology to deliver Services and Benefits to veterans with the Quality and Efficiency They deserve

To transform VA into a 21st Century organization, the President's Budget invests in information technology that directly benefits veterans in the areas of both health care and benefits. Through improved electronic medical records, VA will more efficiently retrieve active duty health records from the Department of Defense and enable all VA care sites to access the records of veterans needing care. VA will also invest in the development of rules-based electronic processes to increase accuracy, consistency, and timeliness in veterans' receipt of benefits.

Provides Greater Benefits for veterans Who Are Medically Retired from Service

For the first time, highly disabled veterans who are medically retired from service will be eligible for concurrent receipt of disability benefits from VA in addition to Department of Defense retirement benefits.

Combats homelessness by Safeguarding vulnerable veterans

The President's Budget expands VA's current services to homeless veterans through a collaborative pilot program with non-profit organizations. This pilot will help maintain stable housing for veterans who are at risk of falling into homelessness while helping VA to continue providing them with supportive services.

Facilitates Timely implementation of the Comprehensive Education Benefits Veterans Earn Through Their dedicated Service

The Budget provides the resources for effective implementation of the post-9/11 GI Bill-providing unprecedented levels of educational support to the men and women who have served our country through active military duty.

[LynnTheDem]

2. The suicide rate in the military has hugely increased. Not that most

Americans appear to know, or care.

"They knew what they signed up for" is the mantra most often heard when anything's heard at all.